Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1887-12-15
JAMES G. BLAINE.

The American Statesman, Now in Paris,
Sharply Criticises the Message Of Ar.
Cleveland.
NEW YoRK, Dec THE Tribune of to-
morrow will contain a long interview with
Hon. James G. Blaine in Paris on President
Cleveland's message. 1t is as follows:
# lave been reading an abstract of the
| presidents message and have been especially in
terested in the comments OF the London papers
These papers ali assume TO declare the message
fs a free trade manifesto and eyidentiv are sntie-
ipating an enlarged market for English fabrics
presidents recommendations. Perhaps that
fact stamped the character of the message more
clearly than any words of mine can.
You don't mean actual free trade without
dutyT queried the reporter
-No, replied Mr.. Blaine. Nor do the London
papers mean that. They simply mean that the
president has what in the United
States Is known as a revenue tariff. rejecting the
protective feature as an objeet, and not even per-
mitting protection 10 result freely as an incident
10 revenue duties. For the first time In the his
tory Of the United States the president recon-
mends retaining the internal tax in order that
the tariff may be forced down even below the
fair revenue standard. He recommends that the
tax on tobacco be retained, and TINS that many
millions annually shall DO levied on a do
nestle product which would far better come
from a tari1 on foreign fabrics. i should urge the
repeal of the tobacco tax a. once. even before
the Christmas holidays. IL would in the frst
| place bring great relief to growers of tobacco all
ever the country, and would, moreover. msteri-
| ally lessen the price of the article to consumers.
Tobacco TO millions OF men Is a necessity. The
luxury of Yesterday becomes a necessity to-day.
| The only excuse for such a tax is the actual ne
cessity under which the government found itself
during the war, and the years Immediately fol-
lowing. To retain the tax now in order TO de-
/ - 80 H. 49, "a NTaRNH I
flow from raising the same amount of money on
foreizn imports. Is certainly a most extraordt-
nary policy for our government | wonld not
advise the repeal of the whisky tax. Other con-
siderations than those of financial administra-
tion are TO be iakentnto account with regard 10
whisky. There Is
A MORAL SIDE TO IT.
To cheaper the price of whisky is to increase
/ the consumption enormously. There would be
no sense in urging the reform wrought by high
license in many states. II the national govern
ment leutralizes the good effect by making
whisky within reach OF every one al 2O cents a
gallon. Whisky would be everywhere dis
titled If the surveillance Of the government
were withdrawn by the remission Of the tax
II would destroy high license AT once in all the
states. Whisky has done a vast deal of harm in
the United States. i would try TO make 1t do
some good. / would use the tax to fortify our
cities on the seabosrd. In view of the powerful
letter addressed 20 the Democratic party on the
subject of fertilization by the late Samuel J.
Tflden in 1885. / am amazed that no attention
has been paid to the subject by the Democratic
ADMINISTRATION 30 long as there Is WHISKY 70
tax i would tax it. and when the ma
tiuuai government should rIve no use for
the money / would divide the tax
among the federal union with the specific object
of tightening the tax on real estate. The houses
and farms of the whole country pay too large a
proportion Of the total taxes. IL ultimately re-
lief conia te given in that direction IT would, In
my judgment. be a wise and benefieent policy.
Some honest. but misguided friends of temper
ance have urged that the government should not
use the money derived from the tax on whisky.
. aiU raElE Is That the tlX on RhTEEN hr the TOD
eral government with its suppression Of all Illicit
dissiliation and consequent enhancement Of
price. has been a powerful agent in the temper
ance reform by putting II beyond the reach
OF so many. The amount Of whisky consumed
in the United States per eapits to-day is not
more than 40 per cent OF that consumed thirty
years age. In NV Judgment the whisky tax
should be so modified as 20 permit all who use
pure alcohol in mechanical pursuits TO have
1t tree Of tax. In all such eases the tax
could be omitted without danger OF fraud.
/ should seriously object to the repeal OF tue
duty GA wool To repeai that would wOr great
injustice TO many interests, and would sci Jasly
discourage what we should earnestly encourage,
namely, the sheep culture among farmers
throughout the Union. To break down wool
growing and be dependent on foreign countries
for the blanket under which we sleep and the
coat that covers our backs is not a wise policy
for the national government to enforce
d you think If the presidents
tion were adopted it would
INCREASE Our EXPORT
Possibly IN some few articles Of peculiar con-
. NAEuGElHl u Ull-4i. u II NO1lu increase our
import trade ten-told IS much in the great
staple fabrics. In wooden and cotton goods, in
iron. IN steel. in all the thousand aud one shapes
in which they are wrought. How are We TO ex-
port staple fabsies 10 the markets Of Europe
unless we make them cheaper than they do in
Europe, and how are we to manufacture them
cheaper labor than they have in
Europe2 The question Of labor underlies the
whole subject II is. in fact, the entire question.
Whenever We can force carpenters, masOns. iron
workers and mechanics in evsry department to
work as cheaaly and live as poorly in the United
States as similar workmen in Europe. we can. of
course. manufacture Just as eheaDly as they do
in Enaland and France. But I am totally op-
posed TO a policy that would entail such results.
To attempt it is equivalent to a social and fuan-
cial revolution, one that would bring untold dis
tresS The moment You begin 10 import freely
from Europe your drive our own workmen from
mechanical and manufacturing pursuits. In the
same proportion they become tillers of the soil,
increasing steadily the agricultural prodact and
decreasing steadily the large home demand.
which is constantly enlsrging as home manu-
faeturers enlarge. That, of course, works great
injury 10 the farmer, ~glutting the market with
his products and tending constantly to lower
prices
Yes, but the foreign demand for farm prod
nets would be increased in like ratio, would 1t
notg-
Even suppose it were" said Mr.. Blaine. how
J do you know the source from which it viii be
supplied TIL tendency in Russia to-day and
IN the Asiatic possessions of England Is toward
a large increase of the grain supply. the grain
4 9NAaN ~ W ~ t-SNhLE s%1<AtAN ~
Manufacturing countries will buy their bread
stuns where they can get them cheapest, and
the enlargfng OF the home market for the Ameri-
can farmer being checked he would search in
vain for one of the same value His foreign
sales are already checked by the great COMPETE
tion abroad. There never was q time when the
increase Of alsTEe home market was so valuable
to him The best proof is that the farmers are
| prosperous in proportion to the nearuSss Of
manufacturing oenters, and a protective farif
| tends 70 spread manufactures
-Bu those holding the presidents views re-
marked the reporter, -are always quoting the
great prosperity Of the country under the tariff
THAT tariff did not inyoIvs the one destructive
point recommended by the president, namely,
abolish indirect taxes levied on foreign fabrics.
But the country had peculiar advantages
under il by the Crimean war involving
impairins ,heiT trade. All these ineidentss
were immensely stimulating to trade in the
United States, REGARDLESS of the nature Of our
tsrin. But mark the end Of this European ex-
perience with the tariff OF 1916. Its enactment
was Immediately followed by the Mexican war;
| then IN ls4s by the great conyulfions Of Europe;
enormous gold yield in California The powers
made peace in 1856. and at the same time the
output of gold in California fell of Immedi-
ately the financial panic Of 1887 came upon the
country with disastrous force. Though we bad in
| these years mined a vast amount of gold IN Calf
fornis, every bank in New York was compelled to
suspend specie payment -Four millions in gold
had been carried out Of the country in eight
years 70 pay for goods that should have been
manufactured at home. and we had years of de-
preston aLj distress a. an
AToNENENT FOB OUR FOLLY.
/ II IL remarkable that President Polk recon-
mended the tariff Of 1s46 on precisely the same
ground that President Cleveland a
similar enactment now, namely. the surplus in
| the treasury was menacing the prosperity Of the
country. History is repeating itself. Mr..
Polk insisted on emptying the treasury
by a free trade tariff, then Immediately
rushed The country into debt by borrowing
$3.50, 100000 for the Mexican war. TRUST
nothing may occur to repeat so disastrous a Sc
auel 70 the policy by President
Cleveland. But the uniform fate has been for
l. goes out Of power always leaves an empty
treasury, and when 1t returns to
power always finds a full treasury.
i would make here and there some changes in
the tarif, not to reduce protection, but wisely
~fosterit. No great system OF revenue like our
tariff can operate with efficiency and equity IN
less the changes of trade be closely watched and
the lEw promptly adapted to these changes.
But ] would make no enznge that would impair
the protective character OF the whole body OF
the tariff laws.
The reporter repeated the question xheth-
er the presidents Recommendation would
40, If adopted. give us the advantage OF q
!k1Ige increase in exports
L only repeat answered Mr.. Blaine, tina:
it would vastly enlarge olr imports, while
the only export it would seriously IN
crease would be our gold and silver.
That would fiow out bounteousiy. Just as il did
Recommendation enacted into law would result,
as did an experiment in drainage of a mar who
wished s to st tgrn swamp into a
Z neighsoring rlysrs but Il S SspI : %
Unfortunately, that the level of the
river was HIGHER than the level OF the swamp.
would be found when the presidents policy. in
attempting TO open a channel for an in reaSe of